The last eight years on Earth have become the warmest in the history of observations.
This is stated in the study World Meteorological Organization (WMO) "2022 State of the Global Climate".
The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributed to the increase in global air temperature. Extreme heat waves, drought, and devastating floods have affected millions of people and caused billions of dollars in damage this year.
The consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly dramatic, the report says. The rate of sea level rise has doubled since 1993. The last two and a half years account for 10% of the total sea level rise since satellite measurements began almost 30 years ago.
In addition, in 2022, glaciers in the European Alps experienced exceptionally heavy losses. The Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass for the 26th year in a row, and last September rain was recorded there for the first time in recorded history. The average global temperature at the end of 2022 is currently estimated to be about 1.15 °C higher than the pre-industrial average of 1850-1900.
- By 2050, due to climate change, glaciers will disappear all over the world, in particular the last ones in Africa.
- In 2022, Swiss glaciers recorded the fastest rate of melting since records began more than a century ago. The melting of the glacier in the Alps even caused the border between Italy and Switzerland to change.